Thursday, March 17, 2016

Malaysia to install 1,250 MW of solar PV by 2020

Malaysia is poised to become member of the Gigawatt Club of solar PV, expectedly in 2020. But if MIDA (Malaysian Investment Developement Authority) is to be believed, this would happen earlier as the government agency is forecasting that by 2020 Malaysia is expected to have installed about 1,250 MW of solar photovoltaic.

As of today, SEDA data indicates that our installed capacity in this type of RE is just slightly over 230 MW.

Government to approve RM1.7b investment in Solar PV?

This sounds interesting but that's very speculative. Hence, we should just treat it as 'intention to announce', for now. Once announced we will have clearer picture of what's planned for implementation. It should be noted that announced project cannot be used as a component of the RE yardstick.

We have heard of many solar PV project announcements around the globe which did not materialised for various reasons.

: : Here is what we saw in the local daily The Star Online that would be of interest to RE players : :

The government is looking to approve several more solar photovoltaic (PV) companies with a total estimated investment of RM1.7 billion this year.

"We will announce it when the time comes," Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) Deputy Chief Executive Officer Datuk Phang Ah Tong said, noting that one solar PV company, with a total investment of RM1 billion, has been approved so far this year.

"Malaysia's stategic position in the industry is now attracting global solar PV module manufacturers," he said, adding the country's PV cluster ecosystem comprises about 250 companies from upstream manufacturing to downstream services, including module supply chain, supporting industries and system integrators.

"Malaysia also expects to have installed about 1,250 MW of solar PV by 2020 from the current 230 MW following two mechanisms approved by the government namely net metering and utility scale solar. With support from the government, we are optimistic the target is achievable with these two mechanisms in place," he said.

Phang also said that solar energy now has become a popular approach to renewable energy usage as it is the easiest, compared with biomass, biogas and hydropower.

"Malaysia is now the world's third largest manufacturer of PV cells, with the industry contributing significantly to economic growth and job creation." - Phang Ah Tong, Deputy CEO of MIDA.

Malaysia also has the world's largest thin manufacturing site and is one of the top exporters of solar
panels to the US, he noted.

"Five out of 10 of the world 's largest solar companies are operating in Malaysia with the PV industry recording revenue of RM20.8 billion last year," Phang said.- Bernama